Minor League Discussion & Boxes 6-6-2008

[abuck1220]

It's mental, it has to be.

 

The Cubs pulled him early in games at the beginning of the year to keep him from getting smashed and then they sent him to AAA to work on his mechanics and he struggled and then got hurt. I don't buy a lot of the amateur psychology that goes around, but I can't understand how a guy could totally lose his mechanics so quick.

 

The Cubs seem to think that he's fragile and everything that's happened so far points that way.

 

I hope he gets it back.

 

i kinda wonder if all the talk about it being mental led to it being even more mental...if that makes any sense.

 

gotta be impressed with the one hit (a bunt single) in five innings part though. still got his stuff.

[imb]

It's mental, it has to be.

 

The Cubs pulled him early in games at the beginning of the year to keep him from getting smashed and then they sent him to AAA to work on his mechanics and he struggled and then got hurt. I don't buy a lot of the amateur psychology that goes around, but I can't understand how a guy could totally lose his mechanics so quick.

 

The Cubs seem to think that he's fragile and everything that's happened so far points that way.

 

I hope he gets it back.

 

i kinda wonder if all the talk about it being mental led to it being even more mental...if that makes any sense.

 

gotta be impressed with the one hit (a bunt single) in five innings part though. still got his stuff.

 

Just comparing it personally, when I was in high school i was a 90% FT shooter my first two years. I took a hard fall in one game and got a deep thigh bruise on my right leg. I could never get my form back at the free throw line, even after it healed and there was no pain. I almost shot higher from the field my senior year than i did from the line.

 

It makes me wonder if he maybe hurt something, which messed with his mechanics and now he hasn't been able to get it back.

[Laura]

That's my main concern.

[NCCubFan]

i kinda wonder if all the talk about it being mental led to it being even more mental...if that makes any sense.

Could be; basically a self-fulfilling prophesy.

[Jon]

On the bright side, he was able to throw 98 pitches.

 

Geez.

[Jon]

If Hill can just avoid getting totally destroyed in AAA, I got to think he would still be a valuable trading chip at the deadline. Some team will still view him as a top pitching prospect and think they can turn him around. His walk totals this year are very disturbing.

I wouldn't put it past the Cubs to move him, but they'd be trading while his value is at its lowest.

[splintersag]

I think maybe Rich has finally lost it, like Prior (hearing that name still stings) did a couple years back. Obviously, we shouldn't give up on him now, but if we could get a decent offer for Hill that might net us some more, younger pitching prospects, then I say we should pull the trigger on that trade.

 

Fun fact: There's a town in Missouri called Rich Hill. We should send him there to work on his control :wink: .

[karenmac]

 

The Chiefs are taking on Blake Beaven.

 

We've seen Beaven start versus the Chiefs twice so far, and both times, I thought he looked quite mortal. Not as surprising now, but the first time was back in early May, when the Chiefs still couldn't hit themselves out of a paper bag.

 

Am glad to see Billy promoted...it was well deserved. On the other hand, he was really interesting to watch pitch, so will be sorry to miss future starts. Oh, and craig, never had a chance to observe the gun regarding where Billy's stuff was...guess you'll have to email Derek Ingram down in Daytona to get the scoop :)

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Marquez Smith went 4 for 5 and is now OPSing near .900. It's time for him to go to Daytona.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Does Randy Wells have any shot at making the bigs this season? Is he just another Mark Holliman?

[Outshined_One]

Marquez Smith went 4 for 5 and is now OPSing near .900. It's time for him to go to Daytona.

 

Lansford hasn't been anything special at 3B. Also, in the alternative, bumping Tony Thomas up to Tennessee wouldn't be a bad idea.

[cubweiser03]

Rich has been struggling with his control since spring training. Its hard for me to come to a conclusion on a specific incident/event during the season that was the beginning of his control downfall. I remember reading them tweaking his mechanics in spring, maybe that was the cause. It's like he has gone back to his Michigan days and first couple years of the minors with his lack of control.

[rawaction]

Thing that's most troubling about Hill is that he has had severe control problems in the past. Last night's line looked a lot like a pitching line of his in Lansing. He was unhittable, but couldn't find the plate to save his life. I'm guessing he wasn't as wild, as he had several balls to the backstop in the low minors, but 7 walks is bad no matter where you throw it. The fact that he doesn't seem to be that or be completely off target like Ankiel was, makes me feel better though.

[VanceJergins]

Hopefully the fact that Hill escaped without an ER and still getting the win will get his brain back on track. Kind of like whatever it was in 06 that made him decide he was awesome.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

The fact that it's happened so suddenly makes it seem much more likely to me that it's physical, rather than mental.

[CubColtPacer]

The fact that it's happened so suddenly makes it seem much more likely to me that it's physical, rather than mental.

 

I happen to think that it's more physical than mental too, but it didn't happen suddenly. Hill could have developed this problem at any point this winter. From the first day he showed up at spring training, he's been wild. 7 walks looks like a gaudy number, but he could have gotten there several times before. He walked 6 in 2 innings during a spring training game. He very well could have gotten to 7 walks in 2 regular season games if they had thrown him out there for 5 innings.

 

From the time he left at the end of the year last year to the time he showed up this year, something has changed. I just wish we knew what that was.

[CubinNY]

The fact that it's happened so suddenly makes it seem much more likely to me that it's physical, rather than mental.

 

I happen to think that it's more physical than mental too, but it didn't happen suddenly. Hill could have developed this problem at any point this winter. From the first day he showed up at spring training, he's been wild. 7 walks looks like a gaudy number, but he could have gotten there several times before. He walked 6 in 2 innings during a spring training game. He very well could have gotten to 7 walks in 2 regular season games if they had thrown him out there for 5 innings.

 

From the time he left at the end of the year last year to the time he showed up this year, something has changed. I just wish we knew what that was.

I think Hill developed the "problem" when Lou and Larry started monkeying around with him in ST.

[Guest]

It doesn't have to be physical - as raw said, those lines look just like Hill's lines at Lansing years ago. He could be healthy and just reverted to his pre-2005 control (but a pre-2005 control where the fans and backstop don't have to worry).

[CubColtPacer]

The fact that it's happened so suddenly makes it seem much more likely to me that it's physical, rather than mental.

 

I happen to think that it's more physical than mental too, but it didn't happen suddenly. Hill could have developed this problem at any point this winter. From the first day he showed up at spring training, he's been wild. 7 walks looks like a gaudy number, but he could have gotten there several times before. He walked 6 in 2 innings during a spring training game. He very well could have gotten to 7 walks in 2 regular season games if they had thrown him out there for 5 innings.

 

From the time he left at the end of the year last year to the time he showed up this year, something has changed. I just wish we knew what that was.

I think Hill developed the "problem" when Lou and Larry started monkeying around with him in ST.

 

In some ways, I would like to believe that (because that's the easiest explanation to fix) but Hill claims that he has been having problems since the very first day of spring training, which is weeks before they starting messing with his delivery. So I'm not sure what to believe.